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Dynamics of a cascade of two continuous stirred tank polymerization reactors with a binary initiator mixture
Author(s) -
Kim Kee Jeong,
Choi Kyu Yong,
Alexander James C.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
polymer engineering and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.503
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1548-2634
pISSN - 0032-3888
DOI - 10.1002/pen.760310506
Subject(s) - continuous stirred tank reactor , cascade , materials science , residence time (fluid dynamics) , polymerization , thermodynamics , styrene , steady state (chemistry) , plug flow reactor model , transient (computer programming) , chemical engineering , chemistry , copolymer , chromatography , polymer , physics , computer science , composite material , geotechnical engineering , engineering , operating system
The dynamic behavior of two continuous stirred tank reactors in series has been investigated for free radical solution polymerization of styrene with a binary mixture of two initiators having different thermal decomposition activities. For a wide range of initiator feed composition, both reactors exhibit quite complex nonlinear steady state and transient behavior. When the reactor residence time is used as a bifurcation parameter, the second reactor can have up to five steady states. For certain range of reactor operating conditions, bifurcations to various types of periodic solutions have been observed, such as Hopf bifurcation, isolas, period doubling, period‐doubling cascade, and homoclinics. The effects of other reactor variables, such as total initiator concentration, coolant temperature, and reactor volume ratio on the reactor dynamics, are illustrated to show the complex dynamic behavior of the two‐reactor system catalyzed by a mixture of t‐butyl perbenzoate and benzoyl peroxide.